Film need NOT be dead - it's up to you!

[kevgermany]

I'm just starting to experiment with digital. Have been a committed film user for more than 30 years, 35mm and MF. I've been scanning my own flim for about 4 years and get much better results than the labs ever did.

I've used a digital p&s for a couple of years (it's slow, cumbersome, overexposes everything and oversharpens everything) and am now experimenting with a D70. Quality seems OK, but it's so easy to get things wrong. At least with film you took a bit of time cos there was no checking the LCD. Checking depth of field on that dark viewfinder is a joke...

I like the speed/immediacy of digital. I'm experimenting with flash and like the ability to shoot and examine, correct and reshoot, without burning lots of expensive polaroids...

I prefer the feel of film - and for me digital is more expensive (assuming new kit), because I don't shoot enough to offset the 2 year body life against film/processing costs. So far I haven't seen an affordable DSLR that can match the quality I get from my 40 year old Bronica bodies (with nikkor lenses).

One thing that's also painfully obvious is that cameras that are designed to be used manually (e.g. match needle) and a reasonable working knowledge of metering and light/aperture are MUCH faster than stuffing around with the menus & knobs on a DSLR trying to set yet another mode, exposure compensation and so on.

However I'll probably sue the D0 for experimenting and setting up, then switch to film when I'm happy with the digital preview... & the D70 will become a heavy, cumbersome p&s for carrying around.

[HuBBaTheMan]

Originally Posted by jimiw

Please dont misunderstand me I do believe that digital does have its place but I also feel it takes alot away from learning the basics as so many wont bother to learn them because they dont have to. As long as they can fix their images in a photo editor. Ive read else where on this site that now because of digital almost anybody can or at least think they can be a photographer, just point and shoot. To me photography is an art and to be good you must learn the basics and expand from there. Thanks All, Jimi

Jimi. Here i think you hit the proverbial nail on the head with a sledgehammer

I started with film about 20 years ago, shot both 35mm and Medium format (woo my good ol trusty RB67 =) and thoroughly enjoyed every single part of it. Had my own lab for my B&W's and actually did some E6 processing aswell. All fun ... and expensive. Which was the reason i stopped. Just couldn't afford it as it got more expensive.

A few years back i got me a digital camera instead, first just a p&s to have something, quickly outgrew that and got a EOS D60 which is basically stone age today It still takes damn nice images.

but, and here comes the catch. I noticed a distinct preference to shoot carelessly with digital. I'm a pretty decent photoshopper and i started to see a behaviour in me that went away from the manual labouring that you had to do with film simply because if the frame was bad, no sweat, shoot another. You got instant feedback and you could erase it right away. This meant i wasted a whole lot more shots which i didn't when i shot film as the film was more expensive and more "valuable" in a way than a digital wasnt.

Now is this a big issue? well the thing is, if i shot 12 frames with my RB67, i most of the time had 12 really good frames since i did the homework and took care when taking my shot. Today, it's not uncommon to spray quite a lot of images and only get a few usable. I was at the point that out of 100 taken frames (in studio), maybe 20 were ok, and maybe 3-4 were good enough to keep.

Fairly recently i started rehearsing all the good ol basics of photography and lighting to teach a friend, and i even got myself a new Medium format film camera (Mamiya 645AFD) and started shooting a few rolls. Now im more careful when setting up the shot regardless if its digital or film and i shoot in a much more relaxed pace (which also relaxes the model =). On the last shoot i did i took 300 images, roughly 280 of those were sent to the client for selection (fashion shoot in studio btw).

So yes, i feel that many photographers, both new and old, can benefit from going back to the basics of photography and do a little rehersal even if their digital camera can handle it for them =)

It sure helped me :P

[Chris101]

I shot film for years until I got my first decent digicam in 1999. Since then I 'went digital' with abandon, even becoming an expert with Photoshop. Then about 2 years ago, I gave it all up, and went back to film, because I just didn't seem to be going anywhere with my digital photography.

I am much more at home with film. I don't want to talk anyone else into using film, it's probably not for them. But I find that the film medium is much more expressive than digital, where I am much less constrained, and therefore less creative. That an I just love the little blobs and crescents I get on my negatives out of nowhere. They're like presents!

ps, I still do use digital cameras, but only when I get paid to.

[jayavant]

in a camera store the other day, as i was buying an armload of film, someone asked me "what will you do if they stop making film?"

my reply was immediate - "i'll concentrate on music."

[richjsn1]

Its an old argument on every photo blog on the planet. I like the best of both worlds. I shoot a D70 for color snapshots of family and freinds. I shoot a 6x7 Mamiya RZ Pro II for black and white art. Photography is my passion not my profession. I will always keep it that way. And hey I love the smell of Stop Bath....grinz...it clears my head out.

[eric rose]

If you think film is dead just go to www.apug.org It's a forum dedicated to only film. Currently they have 10's of thousands of registered users and many more lurkers.

[fotogeorge]

Yes, I am guilty. I go to APUG everyday. I haven't given up on film, or dumped my film camera collection. The film cameras will still be working when my digital camera's electronics give up the ghost.

[GaryMc]

My D80 has been sitting in the bag more then out lately.I've been using my Canon and Konica Rangefinders more and more.My Dad just gave me his RolleiFlex 2.8D that he has had since new ,it takes me awhile but man i love it. I don't think i could ever get that look from the D80.I even bought an AE-1 a couple of years ago because my Dads A1 got stolen but they didn't get all the good lenses.I just turned 40 and am thinking of setting up a darkroom.For me i will be shooting film till they pry my last roll from my cold dead hands!!!!!!!......LONG LIVE FILM!!!!

[jayavant]

i just got back from 3 weeks in korea. while there i spent many interesting hours poking around some of the secondhand camera shops in both seoul and busan. i bought some great MF gear and a couple of wonderful LF lenses. and loads of very cheap film.

the most interesting thing however was the interest i saw in film in korea. i met many amateur photogs who use film exclusively. i met several photography students who are committed to film. i saw leicas and bessas selling like hotcakes - good prices too.

in one shop in busan there was a crowd of young people going over 70's SLR's and MF gear. the proprietor of that shop told me there had been a resergence of interest in film of late.

very cheering to see.

[james23p]

Still love film bought some more today! Plus picked up a mint 75-150 3.5E!

[photojazz54]

Hi James, I see we both are helping keeping our film dreams alive! I am out the door in five minutes to do some landscape FILM style!

[blumesan]

OK guys, let's see some shots.

[james23p]

I have to admit I no longer have a scanner for slide film. I really need one that is cheap. I have a scanner but it can only scan prints and the quality is fairly low. I would even settle for a scanner that scans one slide at a time as I would not scan to many. I will have CD's made when I develope the BW film and will post those.

Jim

[jayavant]

love that acros. i use it all the time in my rolleiflex

[GaryMc]

Well i developed my first roll of film at home T-Max100 it turned out better than i thought it would.I made one mistake that i didn't find out till i went to Blacks to get a couple prints and all pics scanned to a disc. They wanted over $20 just to scan them because i already cut the negs if i would have left it in a roll it would have only been a couple bucks.Now they tell me!!!